A Broken Promise
by Professor Cheesecake
Summary: One-Shot, Songfic to Stuttering by Fefe Dobson. "Anytime you need me," he'd promised, "just call." Well, she  called. Guess what? She was stuck helping herself out of a mess no twelve-year old should be in. So she went to him.


**Hey! This is something that was bugging me since I heard this song properly. I think the ending sorta dwindled down a little...ah, well (Oh, and, for some reason, my computer decided to start spacing things funny near the end. Ignore that). **

**It's rated "T" because of a couple swear words. I didn't think I'd do the story justice without 'em. Sorry.**

Danielle. That was her name. She didn't really have a last name-she refused to say Masters as soon as she found out what Vlad's real intentions with her were. She was just a mistake to him. And...Fenton just sounded wrong. As much as she loved her "cousin"-as much as he was a part of her, as she was him-she really didn't think it fit.  
She was just Danielle. Or Dani; she kind of preferred the latter.  
But nobody was going to accept that one. A young girl caught using the five-finger discount who would only tell anybody her first name? That landed her in a jail cell faster than she could go ghost-not that she would, with all these people around. Besides, she wouldn't be able to phase through the walls anyway. Despite the fact that she was nowhere near Amity Park, Illinois, the rest of the country (probably the world, too) had caught on to ghost attacks. Criminals, especially: more than once was it in the news that a criminal was let out of jail by a paranormal ally.  
So the walls were ghost proof, human proof...she doubted that even some sort of weird alien that could teleport would last very long before people figured out how to stop it.  
She was stuck until they led her out in handcuffs, to a courtroom, or wherever they took petty criminals like herself. That way, even if the handcuffs were ghost proof, she could find a way to escape the police.  
She leaned her head against the wall. She hated resorting to stealing for food. But, as she often quoted from _Aladdin_, "Gotta steal to eat, gotta eat to live."  
A guard passed by, and she was struck with an idea. So that maybe she wouldn't have to resort to stealing. She had talked to Danny, her "cousin", a little over a month ago. "Anytime you need me," he had said, "just call. I'd be happy to help you out."  
"Hey, guard-y! Dude! You in the blue!" The guard stopped, and his expression told Dani that she was probably pushing her luck.  
She smiled her best smile (although with all the people he dealt with, the chances of that softening him up were slim to none) and spoke. "Aren't I supposed to get a phone call? I mean, it's a long ways away, where I wanna call, but, it's the only, err, family I've got."  
The guard sighed.  
It took a while, but somehow, Danielle ended up getting to the phone. She dialled the vaguely familiar number-she could only recall dialling it twice. The guard had groaned when she said she wanted to call somebody in Illinois- it was pretty far from Kentucky, but at least it wasn't Arizona (she had the feeling that a previous jailer had called there, the way he said it).  
The phone rang for so long that she was afraid that nobody was going to answer it. Finally, on its last ring-  
"Hello?"  
Dani beamed. She was lucky today-if you didn't count landing in jail.  
"Hey, Danny, it's me, Dani."  
The guard, listening in, snorted.  
"Dani? Hey, um, this is sort of a bad time..."  
"But it's the only time I've got, listen, you have to help me."  
There was a scuffling sound at the end of the line. It sounded like Danny was talking to somebody. Rather loudly, too.  
"Dani? Still there?"  
"I'm in jail, Danny; I'm not going anywhere soon."  
"You're in..._what_!"  
"Danny, I need you. Remember what you promised? Last time we talked?"  
"I..."  
Danielle suddenly felt a huge sense of dread fill her chest.  
"You can help me, right? Danny?"  
There was a silence.  
"Danny?" her voice was almost a whisper.  
"W...where are you, Dani?"  
"Um...where am I? I'm in..." she took a moment to remember. "Dunnville. Kentucky."  
"Kentuck...Dani..."  
"You promised!" Danielle's eyes were wide. No, she thought, he couldn't say no. He'd said anytime...and anytime was now.  
"I...I'm sorry, Dani. I can't do anything."  
But...but...  
But it was Danny. He'd come to her rescue all the other times-he'd even sacrificed himself to the Red Huntress for her (the fact that she refused was a totally different story). He'd promised. Promised.  
But...  
"So you lied." she couldn't help it-her voice trembled.  
There's a whole lotta things that I will forgive  
But I just can't take a liar  
I was by your side till the very end  
"No, Dani, I didn't lie...I...I just can't follow through."  
"You broke your promise, Danny. You lied."  
"I'm sorry."  
"I doubt it. Go ahead. Hang up. S'not like you care whether I end up dead, or whatever"  
"Dani, of course I do, I-"  
Till you pushed me in the fire  
He never got to finish his sentence. Danielle had already hung up. She glared at the guard, as if this was all his fault. She wished it was-she wished that he had hoodwinked Danny into betraying her, somehow, anyhow-that way, she could just punch him out, and be done with it.  
So she was back in her jail cell. Her miserable, lonely, Danny-less jail cell.

Night time came and went, and the guard went to collect Dani-only, to his surprise, the jail cell was empty. Somehow, Danielle had gone.

Dani flew. Overshadowing the night-guard had been easy; he certainly hadn't been expecting it when they shook hands. It wasn't the first time she'd done that to get out of jail. It was, however, the first time that she wondered whether it was worth it.  
She was starting to get tired, but she ignored it. It had only been a few hours, anyway. She didn't know how fast she was flying, but she knew it was fast enough that she could get to Amity Park by morning. She needed to know what made Danny break his promise like that.  
There. The bill-board...oh, how fitting. There was her cousin's face, smirking at her. Taunting her. The bill-board said that they were all protected by Danny Phantom, the ghost kid...did that include his clones? Or, because she had a strand of his DNA, was she supposed to be able to fend for herself, without any outside support? Sure, she had his DNA. She looked exactly like him, but with a feminine touch to it. She had a few of his personality traits.  
Unfortunately, none of those personality traits included memories. A strand of DNA did not include memories, or knowledge. Vlad had given her the ability to think for herself, sure, and knowledge that almost matched Danny's...but she could never remember the feeling of being loved and supported and cared for. She did, however, inherit the need for it.  
And up until now, Danny's promise had done the trick.  
But Danny had broken his promise.  
So now what?

There was the school. Casper High. And...Danny. In human form. His black hair flew behind him as he ran, as fast as he could towards the school. He was late, Dani noticed, with a sense of smugness. She was never late. She'd never been late for anything in her life.  
But then, she hadn't been living all that long. Nor had she really had anything she could be late _to_.

She managed to corner him at lunchtime. He was sitting with his friends, Sam and Tucker, when she went ghost, successfully triggering his ghost sense. He watched him give a hasty goodbye to his friends, before dashing out of the lunchroom to deal with the pesky ghost. A trickle of anger flared up inside of her when she realized that that was all she was- a pesky ghost.

There he was, on top of the school. Looking around like he owned the place. Searching for the ghost.

"Danny." She never thought she'd say his name like that. He was like her big brother-her best and only friend. The one person she looked up to, that is, until he lied.

He gave a start, whirling around to look at her.

"D-Dani! I...I thought that you...?" his eyes were wide, and he looked like a kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

A cold, empty feeling started in Danielle's chest at his words. What was that feeling? Disappointment? Heartbreak? Betrayal? Maybe a combination of them all, hacking at her chest. She wished he would smack her-she could fight back that way. She could get rid of the pain.

"Well, I got out." She replied, "It wasn't that hard."

He looked confused, and slightly irritated. "Then why did you call me?" he asked. Was that _anger_ in his voice? _He_ was mad at _her_?

"Because I'm sick of all this, Danny. You think I _like_ having to steal food just to survive? It's no fun, Danny. I wanted a home." She swallowed, and looked up into his eyes. She noticed that he flinched away. "You _promised_, Danny, that you'd give me a home. You said that you'd be there anytime I needed you. I _need_ you!"

"I...Dani, I'm sorry, b-but, I can't..."

"And why? Why can't you?" Her tone was accusatory.

"Because, I, well, I just...Danielle...m-my parents...they wouldn't understand..."

I tried to believe you but something is wrong  
you won't look in my eyes tell me what's going on  
Danielle froze. The unfairness of it all practically smacked her in the face. _He_ got a home, because his parents didn't know his secret. A nice, comfortable home, where he got three meals a day, a bed to rest in, and parents that patted him on the back when he did something well, and were there for him when he was upset. She, on the other hand, didn't get that. None of it. Because he didn't want to risk his comfortable little home by telling his parents that he was the thing they'd been hunting.

She opened her mouth, and then closed it, at least five times. Finally, when she was sick of gaping like an idiot, she spoke to him, while he stared at the floor...or, roof, really.

"Your parents. Your parents wouldn't understand, huh?"

He nodded, not meeting her eyes.

"What happened, Danny?"

He finally looked up at her, eyes wide. "What makes you think something happened?" he said in a rush.

"'_Do you want to ask questions, or do you want to kick some butt?_'" She quoted, from their first encounter. He looked away. She glared at him.

"D-Dani..."  
It's you and me against the world  
That's what you said, that's what you said

"It was supposed to be us, together! I'm really only about a year old, Danny, doesn't matter whether or not I look or act like a twelve year old. I wanna go home!"

"I wish I could take you home, Dani, I really do. But, I..." he trailed off. "Look, I just can't, okay?" he finished, his tone forceful.  
If you can't be honest with me  
Then I'm afraid this is the end

Hurry up, hurry up  
If you ever really cared about me

"I could sleep on the couch. Hell, I could sleep on the roof, so long as I get to call the place home. That's all I ask!"

He raised an eyebrow. "Dani, that's a lot to ask, to be honest."

"It's better than asking somebody to live on the streets without anybody to turn to!"

He gulped.

She stared.

Then it clicked-it all made sense to her. Not that it made her feel any better; on the contrary, it made her feel ten times worse.

"You don't give a flying shit about me, do you, Danny? You helped me out to get back at Vlad. Or you were just playing the hero? Which one-or was it both?" She laughed at him, a high, hysterical laugh generated out of anger and spite.  
Tell the truth, give it up

"Dani! N-no! I would never-no-honest-I...!" he gulped again. "Dani, under th-the circumstances...I-I mean, I w-wish I could..."  
You're still guilty cuz you're stuttering

Angry now, she mocked his stuttering. "I-I-I'm j-j-just t-too spoiled t-to d-d-do anything!" she glared, and he turned to look at the floor, his hand at the back of his neck; the same habit she had when she was nervous.

Now the seconds turn into minutes now

They stood in silence, waiting for the other to speak. Silence filled their ears. Neither of them noticed, or cared, when the bell signalling that lunch was over rang.  
But you won't give me an answer

"I'm sorry." Danny's voice broke the silence.

"_Sure_ you are. If you're so sorry, then tell me why I can't have a home." She noticed that he was still staring down at his feet, avoiding her gaze.

"I...can't you go into, um, foster care? Dani?"

She glared at him, wishing she had something to throw at him. "Foster care!" she all but shrieked, "_Foster_ care? I'm too much of a problem for you, oh, great, let's send me off with a freaking stranger!"

"I-"

"That's besides the point, anyway, Danny. Answer my question: _why_ can't I have a _home_!"

"It's not my fault-"

"Oh, really? It's not your fault that you're too chicken to tell your parents that you're half ghost, too comfortable to deal with the awkward questions to give a homeless girl-your clone, no less-a place to sleep? You think it's _nice_ being the outsider? Every ghost knows what I am, Danny, and they know I'm not as strong as you. They know...they _know_ I never will be. I'm more human than ghost, Danny, unlike you, split half and half. I didn't get your midmorph DNA. I got your human DNA-it has a bit of the ghostly _stuff_ on it when you're not transformed." She said, not sure where she was going with her rant, not sure what she was going to say next, so she went with the first thing that came to mind. "Danny, you said anytime I needed you, you'd be there. This _is_ anytime. I _need_ you!" His eyes widened, and she could see that he recognized her words.

"I'm sorry...I...I..."

You can tell me this, you can tell me that  
But don't say you don't remember  
"Don't remember? Don't care? I don't believe the first one, however, the second one seems plausible."

"No-I-_Danielle_..."

"Don't call me that!" she started walking backwards, closer to the edge of the roof. She could hear the sounds of people on the school grounds behind her.

"Dani, I didn't mean that I don't want to help you..." he scrambled for something to say.

Cuz I know you better than you know yourself  
So don't say I'm crazy, I know very well

"No, Danny. You did. Trust me. That look on your face? Same one I see in the mirror when I'm trying to figure out where to go next. So don't give me any bull about caring."

It's you and me against the world  
That's what you said, that's what you said  
If you can't be honest with me  
Then I'm afraid this is the end

Danny bit his lip, his hand still at the back of his neck.

She was at the edge of the roof now. The people on the school grounds were silent.

"So." Dani said. This was his last chance to redeem himself, and they both knew it. But he didn't say a thing.

She just shrugged, and he looked away. So, in a perfect imitation of the trust exercise, she leaned back, and let herself fall over the edge of the roof, closing her eyes. She heard the students of the school scream-who was this crazy girl, who had white hair and didn't go to this school, and why on earth would she do that?

She stopped, though, about a foot from the ground. She opened her eyes. Funny; the first people she saw were Sam Manson and Tucker Foley, their eyes the only ones that were amused in the sea of their terrified peers. She nodded back towards the roof.

"He screwed up."

And so she flew away.

I I I don't don't wanna hear your so-o-rry now  
The-uh-uh best thing you can do for me is just spit it out  
I I I don't don't wanna hear your so-o-rry now  
Stop stop stuttering your words  
It's only making you look worse

He watched, as she flew off into the sky, trying to work his legs so that they'd move. Maybe he'd be stuck here for the rest of the day, stuck until somebody noticed that Danny Phantom was stuck to the roof of Casper High. Or maybe he'd freeze, or turn to stone. He'd be a statue then...that'd be nice, because statues don't have feelings, so they can't feel absolutely miserable that they'd just pissed off the one and only _good_ person that knew what it felt like to be half dead.

He didn't know exactly why he had lied, in the way that he couldn't put it into words. He did know, however, that she believed that he had a nice, happy home, with a nice, happy family, with three meals a day, and a bed to sleep in. Not to mention parents that would accept a freak for a son, and apologize for all the times they'd shot at him; he definitely knew that he did not want to tell her how horribly wrong she was.

It was just an illusion, wasn't it? The thought that they'd hug him, and say sorry...a nice illusion. But an illusion, no less.

He thought back to last night. He should have looked around his bedroom before turning back...should've noticed the obvious man in the orange jumpsuit waiting to know why he snuck out while he was grounded. The man was holding an extra piece of fudge, as if to try and tell him that it would be alright, they'd work through whatever the reason was.

He remembered the chair that they'd thrown at him with a wince. So much for working things out.

He looked back up at Danielle, now just a tiny speck in the sky. If it weren't for the fact that he knew it was her, he'd easily be able to confuse her with a passing bird. He wondered where she'd go.

He looked back down at his feet.

And wondered where _he'd_ go.

Keep on stuttering (yeah you're stuttering)  
Keep on stuttering (yeah you're stuttering)

**Sorry if it's hard to tell what's the story, and what's the song: I had it in diffferent fonts on my word document, not realizing it would be any different...and then, now that it's here, I was too lazy to go and pick it out. Oh, and I think the lyrics might be wrong, I'm not sure, I didn't double check when a copy/pasted. **

**And before you yell at me that Jack and Maddie would totally accept him: I'm not saying they wouldn't. But I've noticed something, see? In Reality Trip, they not only had a few days to think about his "condition" (And I think Jazz talked to them about it...I can't be sure, I haven't seen the episode in a while. If I'm wrong, well, call it creative liscence), plus, he saved their lives from a big huge rolley-coaster of death before that. And in Phantom Planet, he saved the freakin' world! So, say, they found out because Jack was hanging out in his room, with no time to think, or any explanations, or any sort of event to redeem himself...**

**Just think about it.**

**(Oh, and Prophetofgreed, if you're out there, I'm researching like mad to get the picture done...I hope I'll do a good job, cuz the only one on that list I heard of was Danny Phantom)**


End file.
